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“Sorry. I’d rather let you read it when I know for sure if I’ve got it or not. It’s one of those long winded, why am I so much better than everyone else, essay questions.”
I shrug, pretending it doesn’t bother me. I walk back over to my locker and get changed, then we walk out to my car. “Take my car? I can drive you tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
She glances at me as we walk through the parking lot.
“I’m sorry if I sprung this dinner with Mom on you. I didn’t even think that meeting her might freak you out. Now I’ve gone and made things all awkward.”
“You haven’t,” I assure her. I take her hands and wrap them around my waist, tilting her face up so I can kiss her. “And I’m looking forward to meeting your mom. If she’s anything like you and Matt, I’m sure I’ll love her…”
“But?” she presses.
I sigh because I want to be honest with her about how I’m feeling, but I also have a habit of things coming out wrong when I’m nervous.
“I like you a lot, and I know we’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks…”
The way she’s staring at me, I know it’s the wrong time to pause, but I need to think about how I phrase this. How do I explain myself without coming across as an asshole?
“From my perspective, based on the relationship I have with my mother, you’ll be lucky to meet her on our wedding day,” I finally say. “So, meeting your mom is kind of scaring the fuck out of me.”
She laughs as we get into the car.
“Wedding day, huh? Now who’s rushing things?” she teases.
“I just meant if you’re lucky enough to be the woman walking up that aisle toward me, that’s when you’d meet my mother.” I glance at her, getting serious. “Of course, I want marriage and kids. I want it all, but I don’t want to rush into anything, either. Does that make sense?”
She smiles. “Of course, it does.”
The whole drive over to Matt’s, she barely says a word. I steal a look in her direction as we pull up outside their house, watching her as she stares out the window, lost in her own thoughts. I’m sure I’ve said something to offend her, but the problem is, I can’t figure out what. Surely, it’s not the fact that I’m not ready for kids and marriage yet? She can’t be thinking about that kind of thing already, can she?
The moment we walk inside, I relax. Laura walks over and hugs her mom. I’m relieved Laura didn’t make a big deal out of my anxieties. She doesn’t even mention how nervous I was driving over here. Annie’s parents are there too, so I don’t feel like all the attention is on me anyway—mainly because they’re really loud. But even if they weren’t here, I doubt I’d feel any pressure because Laura and Matt’s mom is really laid-back.
“And this is Luke,” she says, smiling at me. She places her hand in mine and gives it a squeeze
“Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Black,” I say, putting my hand out. She shakes her head and motions for me to step closer, throwing her arms around me instead.
“And call me Kelly,” she says. “Mrs. Black makes me sound too old.” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you. I’ve been hearing good things about you from Laura and not so good things about you from my son. I wasn’t sure who to believe.”
“Hey,” Matt protests, poking his head out from around the kitchen and glares at Kelly. “What have I said about him?” He nods at me. “You wanna give me a hand in here?”
“Sure.”
I walk into the kitchen and rub my hands together and then look at Matt expectantly.
“I don’t really need help, I just thought you might want to escape the wrath of my mother,” he says. “My in-laws are staying here. Trust me, I know the hell you’re going through.”
I laugh. “Your mom is great,” I say. “If you want pain, go visit my mom.”
Matt shudders. “God, no. I still have nightmares about that night she accosted you in our dorm room.”
I smile, a twinge of sadness hitting me. That night was the last time I saw her before my father died. I lean against the counter and watch Matt slice carrots. Would things be any different now? It had been nine years since I saw her last. If I turned up on her doorstep, would she send me away?
“I’m glad things with you and Laura are going well,” Matt says out of nowhere.
“Me too,” I say.
“Are you hiding him in here so I don’t ask him too many questions?”
I look over and see Kelly standing there. I laugh as Matt rolls his eyes. She raises her eyebrows at me.
